The King and His Court
by Hane no Zaia
Summary: AU. It was a known fact the Duellist Kingdom did not operate strictly upon the principles of logic, and that their rites and rules of succession made little sense. Hours into a long overdue vacation, King Yugi finds great potential. A potential what though? Ally? Enemy? Successor? His court will no doubt agree to disagree on the issue. Kaiba in particular.
1. The Boy with Potential

_Partial crossover with Yu-Gi-Oh GX. Setting: Fantasy-feudal. Sort of._

 _GX-side companion fic will be turning up in the near future._

 **-.-.-.-**

 **The Boy with Potential**

 **-.-.-.-**

Even though it was already October, it was sunny and warm; not hot, but warm enough to walk around sleeveless in the type of attire that certain court officials would've disapproved of, saying that it's not proper for a ruler to be walking around all dressed up in leather, looking much like a rogue delinquent with a ridiculous hairdo.

But yeah, the hair was hereditary, a genetic quirk passed down from his father's side, and the clothes… well, Yugi had always had an affinity for leather, and he didn't really see how it made much of a difference. Besides, mostly to satisfy those pesky officials, he'd taken the cape and the crown, but he'd left them both with Jonouchi after ditching the ongoing Academia Entrance Exams in favour of some fresh air and walking about uninterrupted.

It felt decidedly nice, because with the time of the day and with the ongoing exams, people had better things to do than to pay attention to the guy wandering through the park surrounding the building where the exams were being conducted right this moment.

Right now, Yugi could definitely see the merits of going to the beach after this, because although it was always interesting to see what new Duellists had turned up, no one had really captured his interest for long, leaving behind a feeling that something was missing as he had allowed his eyes to wander; to study the staff present and also the examiners for the first time in person. Skimming through the reports was one thing after all, and observing people in real life another thing.

Professor Chronos de Medici looked like a handful, and Yugi was definitely glad that he wasn't the one heading off to school. Still, to even get the chance was a privilege awarded only a few; it was elitist, and though Yugi could understand why it was necessary, he didn't like it very much.

So, fresh air it was, and that was nice in itself. Obviously though, he couldn't stay gone for too long.

"Shall we start heading back then?" he asked the spirit accompanying him.

The Winged Kuriboh crooned in response; a yes.

He turned, making it less than ten steps when the sound of running footsteps reached him and Winged Kuriboh crooned in surprise.

Moments thereafter, something collided violently with Yugi's side and he caught a glimpse of brown hair, very nearly losing his footing.

Had Kaiba been there, then he would've scoffed and muttered something about risk management and Jonouchi's uselessness as a bodyguard.

Thankfully, Kaiba wasn't there, so the point was moot, and the eyes looking up at him were startled and wide, brown, and far from what Yugi would've expected from an assassin.

He straightened, keeping his hands on top of the boy's shoulders as a steadying influence. "Are you alright?"

The boy nodded dumbly, eyes still somewhat wide but not really staring at Yugi, but at‒

"Are you here to participate in the entrance exam?" Yugi asked, glancing briefly towards Winged Kuriboh, who looked right back at the boy with keen interest.

If anything, the boy looked confused. "Exam?"

"Are you a Duellist? A Summoner?"

The buy nodded absentmindedly, glancing at something in the direction from which he had come. "Yeah, sure, but what's this entrance exam thing?"

 _He doesn't know_ , Yugi realised, and that was quite a novel experience. Even if it was only a few years old, the Academia was renowned not only in the Duellist Kingdom but also abroad. Seeing spirits and not knowing about the Academia was absurd, if not‒

Within moments, Yugi had retrieved the Spell Card from his Deck, grabbing a startled but unresisting boy by the arm. There were shadows at the edge of the park, but they scattered and dissipated almost as soon as the swords of light penetrated the air closeby.

Knowing that the swords would dissipate on their own anyway, Yugi steered the surprised boy around, nodding in direction of the building that he should really be getting back to. "I'm Yugi."

"I'm Judai. You're strong."

"I am. Would you like to be?"

 **-.-.-.-**

It was a fairly well-known fact that the Duellist Kingdom did not operate strictly upon the principles of logic. First of all, though their rites and rules of succession did in one sense make sense, they would hardly have been applicable in any other context.

Years prior, a middle-ranked nobleman of the pre-Duellist Kingdom, one Count Crawford, had, wielding rediscovered ancient magic, toppled the previous ruler and those who had remained loyal to them.

Of course, not a whole lot amongst those lower ranked had remained loyal for very long when rumours saying that Count Crawford had dragons at his beck and call had been proven not as fictitious as the heads and the hands of the previous dynasty would've hoped.

Towards the end of things, those still left standing had all but begged Pegasus J. Crawford to become their king and that he would share his secret knowledge about the ancient magic so that the kingdom would be able to regain its previously lost territories.

Surprisingly, the conqueror had agreed to both, albeit at a condition: He would only stay as king until there appeared someone more worthy.

Putting it like that, Pegasus J. Crawford, later on often titled the Great Sage, sounded like a really noble and swell guy who thought about the kingdom and had its people's best interests at heart.

In truth though… not so much. It made for a lovely fairytale though, or good propaganda for the later regime.

King Yugi Muto ‒ or Muto Yugi as he was known in his native region of Domino ‒ was a king that was both alike and not so alike his predecessor. With the help of the spirits and his allies, he had managed to beat the former king at his own game; in a Duel of conjured spirits.

Of course, it had taken time and effort and more than just the former king to beat, but that had been the beginning of his ascension to the throne. But what is a king without a court or without knights at his beck and call?

Sensibly, yet also not so sensibly, King Yugi had appointed a few of his best friends and several of his former rivals as members of his court, knowing them to be capable people and awarding them titles appropriate of their stature and position, not to even mention temperament.

In the Duellist Kingdom, one's position and importance was largely linked to one's ability to conjure ‒ Summon ‒ and control spirits, and to wield magic to strengthen them or to weaken their opponent, either in a championship of mock battles called Duels or actually out on the battlefield against enemies of the Duellist Kingdom.

Some have called this ‒ appointing his former rivals to positions of power ‒ reckless, while others have called it a brilliant strategic move; keeping one's friends close and one's enemies closer and whatnot. In truth though, King Yugi hadn't been all that worried about that, appointing people more on the grounds that they had proven themselves capable and was as such potentially useful.

The Knights System had been sketched out and implemented way before King Yugi had ever even thought about actually becoming king. As such, instead of having a hierarchy of multiple steps of archdukes, dukes, marquises, counts, viscounts, barons, baronets and so on, the system of the Duellist Kingdom was fairly simple: There was a king, currently King Yugi, and beneath him were a bunch of knights of differing ranks and responsibilities.

King Yugi had formerly been the Black Magic Knight and later on also the Knight of the Sky Dragon Osiris, ranked first in the kingdom. Obviously, he'd had several other ‒ more or less flattering ‒ titles as well, and even though he was now king, he still retained his rank as the Knight of the Sky Dragon Osiris and also that of the Winged God-Dragon of Ra and the Giant God-Soldier of Obelisk, affectionately referred to as Obelisk the Tormentor.

Together, these three spirits were known as the _Sangenshin_ , the Three Phantom Gods, and to become king, he had obtained them all through Duels using the Ante Rule, which basically meant that the winner was allowed to pick one of their opponent's Summoning Contracts, usually a card, and add it to their own Deck, that is to say their own collection of Summoning Contracts and magic-infused Effect cards.

Ranked second in the Duellist Kingdom was the Knight of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Kaiba Seto (to the Domino region) or Seto Kaiba (to the rest of the kingdom). Most people just called him Kaiba though. For a brief period, the contract of Obelisk had belonged to Kaiba, but in losing that, he had also lost his right to become the next king of the Duellist Kingdom.

If not for his fierce pride and lack of patience for dealing with fools, then Kaiba would've likely staged a coup d'état and put himself on top. Having had a great view of all the trouble that it took to be a sovereign though, Kaiba had moved on and invested his bitterness in hard work, simply because few other people in the administration were even remotely competent.

In addition to being a top-ranked Dragon Knight and ranked second in the entire kingdom, Kaiba was also the leader of the Duelling Corps ‒ commonly referred to as the Kaiba Corps ‒ which was the military of the Duellist Kingdom. In addition to leading the military, Kaiba had, in response to dropping standards amongst Duellists, launched himself into a project to remedy that, emerging as the cofounder of Duel Academia.

Duellists were people with an inherent affinity to Summon and bond with Spirits also known as Duel Monsters. To deal with their steadily dropping standards, Kaiba had allied himself with an ageing relic of the past, Kagemaru, and founded the first Duel Academia out on a volcanically active island out in the middle of nowhere and far away from the prying eyes of the population and the Duellist Court.

Viewing it as a moderate success, Kaiba had then granted permission for similar establishments in the different corners of the kingdom, adding North, South, East and West to the already existing Central Academy. Frankly, Kaiba hadn't bothered all that much about those, figuring that if they were smart, they would take after Central and if not, then they were hardly worth the trouble. In the end, with few exceptions, only top graduates from Central made it into the KC anyway.

Achieving knighthood was one thing; it wasn't particularly hard, because since there were plenty of Duel Monster Spirits out there, there had to be at least a few of them willing to enter into an exclusive contract. To count, one had to have a contract with something worthy, and worthiest of them all were the contracts made with dragons.

Of course, even the most shining record had its smear in the shape of one or a few individuals who did not live up to expectation. For Kaiba, the Knight of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, no one exemplified this better than Jonouchi Katsuya, the current Knight of the Red-Eyes Black Dragon, whose position, rank, and sheer existence continued to offend him.

While technically speaking a member of the KC, Jonouchi _"the Mongrel"_ Katsuya had outright refused to take any orders from him and though displeased at the other's lack of proper respect, Kaiba had been pleased reassign him to the king's bodyguard simply because then Kaiba wouldn't have to be a part of said protection detail himself and then he wouldn't have to see either of them outside of strictly official business.

Currently ranked fourth in terms of raw potential was the Knight of Elemental Heroes, Edo Phoenix. While definitely a bit young and green for Kaiba's tastes, the other did seem to have a fairly good head on his shoulders. Recent events having come to light with the other's continued association with the fortunetelling whack jobs of the Society of Light, Kaiba figured that he might have to change this assessment and it would suffice to say that he wasn't very pleased about it.

Edo Phoenix was still young however, and unsavoury interests aside, he did have a great deal of potential. As such, Kaiba wasn't entirely ready to throw him aside just yet. In fact, rather uncharacteristically of him, he was willing to give the other a second chance to start over. Unfortunately, this time around, unlike that time with the academies, Kaiba would actually have to get the king's permission to go through with it.

Surprisingly, King Yugi had proved all too agreeable.

"You get to send Edo to Academia if I get to take the next week off."

A week of enforced regency was likely to try his patience, but with the alternative consisting of dealing with crazy fortune-tellers and cult leaders, Kaiba had his priorities sorted out.

Of course, looking at the end result, then he probably should've reconsidered or at the very least assigned someone more capable as the king's chaperone, considering the king's penchant for making trouble whenever left unsupervised for long enough.

Exasperated, Kaiba held his hand out for the seal of approval. With trained ease, Kaiba Mokuba handed it to him and looked on as he planted it firmly on the infuriating yet strangely convenient report that had just landed on top of his desk.

"Mokuba."

"Yes, brother?"

Kaiba retrieved a letter from his inner pocket and handed it over. "For the Ghouls."

"The Ghouls?"

The Ghouls had been founded by the former Knight of the Winged God-Dragon of Ra, Marik Ishtar, and had since his defeat officially disbanded. Unofficially, it still remained, albeit on a very small scale with just Marik Ishtar himself, his former minder Rishid and yet another former nuisance, Bakura Ryou. Considering that the former hailed from a family of tomb keepers and the latter possessed a great number of contracts with the Duel Monster Spirits of the undead, the naming seemed strangely appropriate.

"Just because Yugi doesn't utilise his resources doesn't mean that I won't. The Dark World's been acting up again, the Society of Light and the Seven Stars Assassins are both on the move, and I'd rather not head into this one blind if I could avoid it."

Mokuba nodded, ever understanding. "And Yugi?"

Kaiba pinched the ridge of his nose, anticipating an oncoming migraine. "Not unless the world's ending. If this becomes a big thing, then he'll probably make use of it to look for a potential successor."

Little did he know that King Yugi was already way ahead of him.

 **-.-.-.-**

"Here, take this. It's a lucky card."

"Thanks?"

"Winged Kuriboh has taken a liking to you."

"That's… good?"

"May the Spirits be with you."

 **-.-.-.-**

True to Yugi's initial assessment, Professor Chronos de Medici was quite a handful. But, equally true to Yugi's assessment, Chronos wasn't more than this Judai guy could handle.

More interestingly, Judai had managed to Summon several Duel Monster Spirits of the Elemental Heroes series that had been exclusively contracted to Edo Phoenix prior to this.

Needless to say, people were surprised.

Needless to say, Yugi found himself both amused and intrigued.

"Interesting guy," Jonouchi comments afterwards. "Wish I'd be able to Duel him sometime."

Yugi wouldn't mind that himself either, as long as it was on friendly terms. "I suppose we can officially strike Edo as the Knight of Elemental Heroes then."

Jonouchi shrugged mildly at that. "It's that guy. He'll probably be back with a new set of Summoning Contracts by the end of the month."

Yugi had nothing to say to that; it was true after all. "We lost two potential Dragon Knights last year. There's still Marufuji, but we need more to fill out our ranks and Kaiba usually won't bother with Knights who aren't contracted to dragons."

"You could give them to me though," Jonouchi offered, covering up a big yawn. "Or to your grandpa, since he's the guy who whipped me into shape."

Yugi smiled slightly at that. "Grandpa's getting old, and Academia's got better facilities for that."

Jonouchi pointed. "Is that your newest candidate for knighthood, Yugi?"

Yugi gave the now distant Judai one last considering look. "He's definitely got potential."

 **-.-.-.-**


	2. Interlude ‒ Working Vacation

_**Note:**_ _this fic uses literal translations of Duel Monster names._

 _ **Another note:**_ _If you want to share your opinions or just have questions, feel free to review. I won't bite. Probably. ^^_

 **-.-.-.-**

 **Interlude**

‒ **Working Vacation ‒**

 **-.-.-.-**

" _Yugi."_

"Kaiba."

" _Yugi."_

" _Kaiba."_

A glaring contest between king and regent ensued, with Kaiba scowling and Yugi evenly returning the look. It continued for several moments and ended only when the regent had finally had enough, tapping sharply at the report he had previously slammed down onto the desk between them as the glaring contest had ensued.

About an hour prior, Yugi had first occupied said desk, intent on making good use of his time off from his royal duties to do some private research in the grand library.

"What's the meaning of this, _Yugi_?"

Yugi glanced a second time at the report and then looked back up at Kaiba, tilting his head ever so slightly. "What is the issue here exactly, Kaiba? I thought I still had five days left of my vacation."

Apparently, Kaiba had received word of Judai's admittance to the Duel Academia and of the role that Yugi himself had played in it, stepping in as his sponsor and smiling sharply until Professor Chronos de Medici had felt forced to agree, especially with the addition of meaningful looks and the equally meaningful gestures accompanying it.

Besides, it wasn't as though Kaiba would actually confront him over something as small as having threatened a corrupt official into doing their job; Kaiba was an elitist, but he was an elitist that hated incompetence. "I confiscated Edo Phoenix's Deck and gave him three months to get a new set before transferring to Central Academy. I give you the Deck, and less than three hours later, you‒"

"You've pawned it off to some kid, threatened an Academia official into accepting his late application, and put yourself down as his sponsor, _Your Majesty_."

Yugi cracked a smile at that and gave the report another considering look before moving on, first to Kaiba and then to Mokuba, who'd just stepped out from between the bookcases, carrying an armful of books. "Edo'll have a new set of contracts by the end of the month, and with the ease that his old Deck bonded with someone else, the match was doomed from the start. To think that you'd spot that kind of thing before anyone of us. Kaiba, I'm honestly in awe."

All three of them, Yugi himself included, knew well that nothing could have been farther from the truth and from the mind of Kaiba as he had effectively not only suspended the Knight of Elemental Heroes but actually stripped him off his rank, sending him off to regain his qualifications for failing to adhere to order in regards to ceasing his association with the Society of Light.

With an irritated huff Kaiba snatched the report back up, folding it once and sticking it into his inner pocket. "If this _Yuki_ _Judai_ turns out to be another _Mongrel_ , then I'm taking zero responsibility."

No one had actually been expecting anything else, Yugi least of them all. "Jonouchi's a fellow Dragon Knight; you should really stop calling him that."

Obviously, Jonouchi had his own collection of less flattering names for Kaiba, including but not necessarily limited to Moneybags, Bastard, and whatnot, and was fairly liberate with his use of them.

Of course, that in itself didn't necessarily mean that Yugi approved of either of their obsessive-compulsive urges to belittle and even dehumanise one another. However, over the years, Yugi had learnt to be more pragmatic about things, because at least now they weren't Duelling or physically trading blows whenever they got into disagreements. "Speaking of Dragon Knights, have the admittance records for North Academy arrived yet?"

"They should be here by tomorrow afternoon. Why?"

Yugi smiled at Mokuba and then moved on to Kaiba, who had been on his way out but now turned, vaguely annoyed yet at the same time mildly curious. "There's a boy named Johan Andersen. Pegasus is sponsoring him."

Kaiba's face darkened visibly; it was a look that Yugi knew very well and that was largely reserved for whenever either the Sage or the Kaiba siblings' adoptive father Gozaburo was brought up in conversation. "He's not joining the Kaiba Corps."

The tone used left little room for disagreement. Yugi wasn't in it to argue though. "He's ranked fifth in the kingdom in terms of raw potential, and he's already the unofficial Knight of the Gem Beasts. If he makes it through the ceremonial trials, he'll be the Knight of the Rainbow Dragon as well."

Kaiba stilled. "The Rainbow Dragon?"

"It's a Level 10."

Yugi made no further comment than that, because all of those present knew that Kaiba's own Blue-Eyes Dragons were only Level 8s.

Incidentally, the _Sangenshin_ , the Three Phantom Gods, were also Level 10s, and so were the _Sangenma_ , the Three Phantom Demons, their whereabouts currently unknown.

Obviously, there were ways of achieving higher levels through Fusion Summoning and whatnot, but to Summon something as high as a Level 10 was practically unheard of otherwise; not because the Monsters themselves didn't exist, but rather because so few passed the required trials.

With a scoff, Kaiba retreated. After a polite nod in Yugi's direction, Mokuba promptly followed.

Left alone to his own devices and thoughts, Yugi slammed shut the book he'd been perusing prior to the interruption and returned it to its proper place.

A crooning sound alerted him to the return of Kuriboh. "How's Winged Kuriboh? Settling in?"

There was an affirmative at that, although it was somewhat hesitant. Soon thereafter followed an explanation that took Yugi more than a few moments to interpret; he was far from fluent after all. "I'm aware, but it'll work out. Probably."

The croon that followed sounded almost disapproving. Yugi waved dismissively. "If it comes down to that, then I'll take responsibility. Kaiba said he wouldn't get involved after all."

The spirit seemed largely placated at that, giving Yugi a slight pat on the shoulder before disappearing altogether.

Moments thereafter, someone new entered the library. "I saw Kaiba storming out of here and Mokuba following, so I assumed I'd be finding you here, Yugi."

Yugi smiled. "You assume correctly, Lady Anzu."

Lady Anzu ‒ Mazaki Anzu back in the day ‒ was one of the people that didn't hold any official position in the Duellist Court other than that of royal advisor. Like the rest of Yugi's and Jonouchi's friends from the Domino region, she could Duel and could certainly hold her ground if she put her mind to it, but she seldom did.

This was not to say that she was letting other people stand in the limelight though; she just wasn't very interested in the limelight that Duelling could offer her. Instead, Anzu's lifelong passion was dancing, although it was technically dancing and consorting with kings, considering her track record.

Jonouchi might have usurped the position of Yugi's best friend at some point, but Anzu was still his oldest one and had found another niche for herself now that the road lay open.

In simpler terms, officially speaking, Anzu was a royal consort. In truth though, their relationship was far more platonic these days. At one point, Yugi had indeed been crushing on her. In the end though, she had fallen for another and ultimately, so had he.

"Kaiba still hasn't forgiven you for Atem. He desperately wanted a rematch."

Atem; the name of the once nameless pharaoh whose spirit had brought them all together at least indirectly.

"If he could see us now, I wonder what he'd say," Anzu mused out loud, contemplating her jingling bracelets.

Yugi didn't have to wonder; he already knew. "Nothing much, because he'd be busy rolling his eyes at Kaiba."

"Definitely," a newly arrived Honda chimed in from the doorway, slouching now that he was off from active guard duty. "For a guy who claims not to care about the past, he sure is obsessed with it."

They really shouldn't be the ones to talk, because even now, they have yet to put it all behind them. They had moved on, yes, but they had dragged an increasingly heavier train of memories with them.

"So," Anzu went on to say once the silence had lasted for long enough. "There'll be an event down at the plaza tonight."

"An event?" Yugi dutifully echoed whilst Honda nodded, obviously clued in on it already. "Duelling or regular?"

"Both."

"Will there be a tournament?"

After all, when it all came down to it, Yugi did have five days left of his vacation and there was really no telling when he would be able to have another one. In other words, he'd better enjoy it while he still could.

 **-.-.-.-**

" _Yugi."_

"Kaiba."

" _Yugi."_

" _Kaiba."_

There was a definite sense of déjà vu in the way that Yugi, on the very last day of his vacation, found himself once more in the library and at the receiving end of Kaiba's disapproval.

"What's the meaning of this, _Yugi_?"

On top of Yugi's desk was a flier containing details on an upcoming tournament, hosted by none other than King Yugi himself. "It's for your birthday. Jonouchi's idea by the way."

On one hand, Kaiba seemed decidedly displeased about Yugi making such arrangements without consulting him and, to add further insult to injury, taking advice from the Mongrel in doing so.

On the other hand though‒ "He'll regret it and keep yapping about it."

"I'm sure he will," Yugi readily allowed, because he was just as certain about that as he had been about Kaiba not being willing to take part of any such thing if there was no merit.

Occasionally, the merit of making Jonouchi experience humiliating defeat was enough. This time though, Yugi had upped the stakes a bit.

"You'll regret it as well, Yugi," Kaiba announced, stalking away with ill-concealed satisfaction.

Putting the summoning contract of Obelisk up as the great prize in the tournament was a bit of a gamble, but‒

Kuriboh materialised next to him, crooning almost worriedly.

"It's alright," Yugi assured him quietly. "For once, I actually know what I'm doing."

Had Atem still been around to watch his actions and hear his thoughts, then he would quite possibly have disagreed. These were not ancient times though, and when it came to experience on the throne, Yugi himself had been king far longer than Atem had been pharaoh. When it came to dealing with emergencies however‒

Unlike the case with Atem, the years of Yugi's actual rule had proven deceptively peaceful. This was of course not to say that there hadn't been trouble brewing. It was definitely there, now more than ever, gradually darkening the horizon. Some of it stemmed from remnants of the pre-Yugi rule. Other actors though, like the Society of Light, were fairly new to the stage and far too proficient at manoeuvring just beneath the point where the court would be forced to intervene.

Of course, had Yugi realised just how much potential for trouble they had been from the very start, then he would probably have had them dealt with before they had managed to spread their influence all over the Duellist Kingdom and even into the Duellist Court itself.

"Hey, Kuriboh?"

There was an answering croon.

"Keep an eye on Kaiba. His affinity for Light Monsters might make him more susceptible than the rest of us."

After all, from the perspective of the Society of Light, getting Kaiba on their side would no doubt prove the ultimate offering; next to attaining the summoning contracts to the Three Phantom Gods, that is.

Kuriboh crooned again, asking a question.

Yugi flicked his hand slightly. Moments thereafter, the Black Magician and the Black Magician Girl materialised in the room, Mahado standing guard and Mana sitting on top of his desk, dangling her legs over the edge of it. He offered up no further explanation than that; no further explanation was after all needed.

With another croon, Kuriboh flitted off in direction of the door, fading from view.

" _Keeping busy as always, milord,"_ Mana quipped, giving the paper on his desk a cursory glance. _"Using Obelisk and Lord Seto as bait."_

" _Mana, show proper respect to the Pharaoh."_

Yugi and Mana both turned their heads to look at Mahado where he stood decked out in his purple armour with his arms folded across his chest but clutching his staff even so.

"Mahado."

" _Pharaoh."_

"We're in the Duellist Kingdom."

" _Your Majesty."_

"And I wasn't even born royal. Really, there's no need for formalities, least of all from you."

" _Lord Muto."_

"That's grandpa."

" _King Yugi."_

"Drop the title and we're set."

The effort was decidedly futile, considering the time that they had spent together, especially since Atem had left for the afterlife.

"So?" Yugi said at last, knowing from their continued presence that there were things to report. "Do tell me more about who I have recently agreed to sponsor."

 **-.-.-.-**


	3. Tea with the Great Sage

_Time: approximately one year after the events of chapter one._

 **-.-.-.-**

 **Tea with the Great Sage**

 **-.-.-.-**

It was late August and hot as Hell out there. Yugi was already regretting wearing leather beneath his hooded cape, but where he was going, it didn't hurt to be prepared. Besides, old habits die hard and Yugi's old habits died the hardest, like his affinity for leather and his tendency to wittingly and unwittingly annoy Kaiba with a vast majority of his actions.

This would, with all due likelihood, prove to be one of said actions.

He nodded to a similarly hooded Jonouchi snacking on some fried chicken. "I expect to be back sometime early tomorrow morning. I trust that you and Kaiba won't try to kill each other in the meantime."

Jonouchi tore off another bite as they turned into an empty alleyway, taking the time to ensure that it was truly empty. "Not even with dragons?"

"Especially _not_ with dragons. Last time was expensive."

 **-.-.-.-**

The introduction of summons had revolutionised the transportation system. Obviously, much of the old system of horses and carriages and whatnot still remained, but for people with resources, there were alternative means of transportation.

Of course, using summoned beasts as a means of transportation was hardly unproblematic. For one thing, not all of them were entirely keen on allowing themselves to be ridden; dragons in particular were a proud sort. Besides, it was hardly practical for Kaiba and his fellow Dragon Knights to ride dragons to every destination; for larger ventures or to make a statement, it was obviously acceptable, but otherwise, if horseback wasn't good enough for them, they'd simply have to walk.

Yugi himself preferred travelling on foot rather than on horseback but only ever did so when heading out on private excursions; official business required a whole lot of ceremonial bullshit, protocols and whatnot. Naturally, Yugi very much preferred travelling incognito, wearing a disguise. Of course, these days, he was hardly anonymous; Jonouchi was after all quite recognisable, and even with Yugi applying a bit of magic to keep people from looking too closely, there were a number of people who had by now put two and two together.

They were usually pretty polite about it though, the owners and workers of the establishments frequented by Jonouchi, as well as Honda and Anzu. Food and drinks were usually on the house, which was nice, because Jonouchi usually ate for two, possibly even three; not that Yugi could blame him or anything though, quite aware as he was of the circumstances of Jonouchi's childhood.

"No worries," Jonouchi reassured him with a smile. "I'll deal with Moneybags. As for the sage, you're on your own."

Yugi snorted softly at that, decidedly more _a_ mused than _be_ mused. "Jonouchi, no dragons."

Jonouchi's smile widened to a grin. "No promises, Yugi."

 **-.-.-.-**

The introduction of summons had revolutionised the transportation system. His first time riding a dragon had been a mildly terrifying but nevertheless exhilarating experience, but since then, Yugi had found other, alternative means of transportation better suited for his unofficial ventures.

In his hand was a card containing a summoning contract, and he smiled at the answering croon. "Kuriboh."

Kuriboh was a Level 1 Effect Monster; quite weak, in the opinion of most. Something that people tended to forget however was the fact that Kuriboh was technically a Monster of the Fiend variety and as such technically classified as a demonic summon.

Similarly, considering how Yugi himself had once held the title of Black Magic Knight, it was surprising just how many people failed to recall that Yugi's Deck, past and present, had always had a place for Monsters of the Fiend variety. Most of his current one was of the Earth variety, but his signature summons had always been either Light or Dark. And, truth to be told, Yugi had always had more of an affinity for the latter. Naturally, getting possessed by an ancient pharaoh with a definite affinity for the latter hadn't exactly helped in Yugi's case.

After that, as far as making contracts with Duel Monster Spirits went, Yugi really hadn't renewed himself that much. His most recent contract had been to Winged Kuriboh, Kuriboh's Level 1 Fairy counterpart; first a demon and then an angel, both of the small and fluffy variety. Still, they were loyal companions and had useful dimensional abilities at their disposal. For one thing, it did save a whole lot of time and money when it came to travelling. Besides, Yugi knew well to value loyalty, because it was different from the type of pride that prevented Kaiba from launching a coup d'état; Kaiba had lost his qualifications for kingship, and thus he had been forced to honour the agreement to serve whoever had ultimately ended up on top, much like the rest of them.

Kuriboh crooned, expressing concern.

"I'm alright," Yugi assured him, reaching out to touch the now materialised spirit. "Thank you."

 **-.-.-.-**

The first couple of times he'd entered the Void, Yugi had been pulled into it by force; first by Pegasus and then by Bakura, the spirit of the Millennium Ring. Pegasus had only done it partially though, unlike Bakura, who'd gone all way through. Both times, there had been souls on the line, although Pegasus had not had the courtesy of mentioning this before it was almost over. Bakura meanwhile had made use of his host, Ryou, to lure them in.

Back then, the Void, or the Shadow Realm as some allegedly called it, had been a place of trauma and discomfort. These days, Yugi hardly minded it, provided that the time spent in it was brief; anything else would have been highly inadvisable, even for skilled summoners, because the location itself drained you, sapping away your energy for as long as you remained there.

Even now, Yugi would hardly venture into the Void without having someone to guide him; it was easy getting lost after all.

Of course, calling it the Void was a bit unfair; it was really a gateway between their world and the world of spirits. Of course, to this day, little was known about the latter; Yugi had meant to remedy that at some point, but retaining and improving the Duellist Kingdom had taken priority over exploring what lay beyond the inhospitable Void. Besides, now that the Millennium Items were once again sealed, the void that was the Shadow Realm remained virtually a nonissue, seeing that certain people could no longer drag their opponents and unlucky bystanders into it simply for their own amusement or some other dastardly purpose.

The Ghouls obviously came to mind; Ryou was no longer possessed and Marik no longer psychotic, but together, they still stirred up trouble even these days, albeit on a somewhat lesser scale now that they were no longer wielding the Millennium Ring and Rod. Of course, in their case, being somewhat less powerful still meant that they were decidedly more powerful than the average Duellist.

Marik's Dark affinity aside, Ryou probably held more contracts with Fiend Monsters than anyone, retaining a particular affinity for the zombie types. They had both spent a great deal of time in the Shadow Realm, building up something of a resistance to the effects of the void; much like Yugi himself.

Sighing, Yugi stepped out of the void and onto solid ground; only seconds had passed, but it had felt much longer than that. Jonouchi, after a rare and relatively tame experience with the void, had compared the sensation to wading through syrup; sticky and way more exhausting than it should be.

There was a massive staircase above; Yugi, standing upon the lowermost step, felt exhausted already.

"No, no, it's alright," he assured Kuriboh. "Thank you, Kuriboh. I'll take it from here."

Those damned staircases; at this rate, they'd be the death of him.

 **-.-.-.-**

The Castle of the Great Sage, the Cradle of the Duellist Kingdom, was located on top of a mountain. Yugi recalled how he had once thought of it as a strange place to govern from; an old castle on a decidedly remote island.

Standing there now though, Yugi realised what a stroke of genius it had been; the remoteness alone was enough to ward off most of those pesky counts, clerks and clerics who would otherwise do their utmost to waste the time of the Duellist Court and of Yugi himself in particular.

After all, with the dimensional abilities of Kuriboh, it wasn't as though the distance would serve as much of an obstacle to Yugi himself; just to the people who'd turn up with issues that had already been assigned to individual knights.

Heck, the odd nobleman with a lack of experience with the workings of the Duellist Court would occasionally come to Yugi, complaining about insolence and whatnot, showing just how quickly the nobility had forgotten the terror of King Pegasus' reign.

One of the first things on Yugi's agenda back when he had first ascended the throne had been to move their base of operations to Domino City, where he had been born and raised. The partially ruined castle still remained a special place though, accommodating the once king and current sage.

Years prior, Yugi and the others, friends and fellow duellists, had arrived on this island, responding to a challenge issued by King Pegasus. Looking back at it now, Yugi could still recall the terror he'd experienced at the thought of failure; the soul of his beloved grandfather had been on the line, so losing really hadn't been an option. Losing hadn't really been an option for Kaiba either, with Mokuba's life on the line.

Reaching up, Yugi pulled down the hood, letting his hair get caught up in the ocean breeze. Then, after a nod in Kuriboh's direction, he began his ascent.

 **-.-.-.-**

"Ah, Yugi-boy! Long time no see."

It had certainly been a while, but apparently not long enough for the sage to stop using that nickname. "It's been a while, Great Sage."

Pegasus bowed his head lightly in response, by no means subtle with his scrutiny as he eyed Yugi's mildly exhausted and somewhat dishevelled appearance. "Oh, there's no need for such, Yugi-boy. It's no great secret that you disagree with formalities."

"Then, disagreeing with formalities‒" Yugi began, making a mental note to put aside more time for a fitness regimen. "You requested advice."

"Not so much for myself. For my charge."

The air inside of the castle proved blessedly cool compared to that on the outside. "Johan Andersen, was it?"

 **-.-.-.-**

Arriving in what used to be the dining room, Yugi noted that it had been transformed into a gallery of some sort. Gone were the long dining table and chairs, replaced by a single round table with a chair on each side. There were also snacks and two cups of steaming tea already set upon it. It looked really nice; innocent even. Had Kaiba been there, then he would have probably muttered something about risk management and poison.

Yugi removed his cape, folded it and hung it over the chair's backrest, claiming a seat while Pegasus did the same. "So?"

Pegasus frowned slightly at his teacup. "Johan-boy's feeling a bit troubled right now. And I'm afraid it's beyond anything I can fix these days."

Yugi picked a cookie from the tray, eyeing it briefly before taking an experimental bite. "He's here right now?"

The great sage just sighed. "Well, he was, up until maybe an hour ago. I took my eyes off him for two minutes and now he's gone."

Well, that sounded decidedly familiar. "Jonouchi's going to use that same excuse once Kaiba finds out I'm skipping out on the budget meeting."

Well, that and the monthly session of listening to people's complaints on how Yugi saw it fit to run his country. Yeah, Kaiba would probably‒ "Kaiba-boy will no doubt be _thrilled_."

Despite himself, Yugi chuckled. "Kaiba's still angry about what I did last time."

"Oh?" Pegasus looked decidedly intrigued. "Last time?"

Actually, those cookies were excellent; Yugi would have to ask someone for the recipe. "I'm surprised it hasn't reached your ears yet."

"Well then, you must tell me all about it." Pegasus sipped some more tea, his eyes sweeping across the room. "Other than Johan-boy and Hayato-boy, few people visit me these days, so it's been getting pretty dull. I don't get out much."

Yugi would imagine that just about anything would be quite dull compared to being a mad despot hell-bent on world conquest and whatnot. Still‒ "Hayato-boy?"

"Ah him?" Pegasus looked decidedly fond at their mention. "He used to be in the Osiris Red Dorm at Kaiba-boy's Academy, but his father wanted him to drop out and join the family business. That is how I met him actually. After I discovered his skill in painting, I offered to become his mentor."

Yugi wasn't particularly surprised. Rather, he was fairly pleased to learn that Pegasus had kept up with his old, decidedly less nefarious hobby.

"Hayato-boy's like you, you know," Pegasus said at last, looking decidedly thoughtful. "He's got the sight, even if it's a bit dodgy. He tells me the most delightful stories of the Central Academy though, so it's an outright pity that I cannot go there and see it for myself."

In a way, that made two of them. "I haven't seen it either, but I've heard much about it."

If Pegasus appeared at the Central Academy, then Kaiba would no doubt throw a fit. The man was probably very much aware of this, going by the somewhat crooked smile sent Yugi's way. "I know, Yugi-boy. Hayato said Winged Kuriboh was there, accompanying a friend of his."

Yugi helped himself to another cookie.

The sage sent him a decidedly amused look. "So, is that Judai-boy the reason why Kaiba-boy's upset?"

It was, more or less.

Pegasus looked decidedly pleased. "Intriguing. Tell me more."

Yugi contemplated his tea, wondering what blend it was, making an effort not to think about the other things he had done that had yet to invoke Kaiba's wrath, simply because they had so far managed to escape his notice. These days, he didn't technically have to mind his thoughts like this, because Pegasus was no longer able to read them. Old habits die hard though, and Yugi's old habits died the hardest. "Shouldn't we go looking for Johan first?"

Pegasus readily dismissed his concerns. "Johan-boy will be back once he's ready. Before that, I want to hear some interesting news for once. Tell me, who is this Judai-boy of yours?"

Yugi really had to find out what blend it was; Kaiba was a caffeine addict, so the court rarely got any decent tea, just coffee.

Coming to think of it, coffee had to be imported from abroad and was causing quite a dent in their budget, so maybe‒ Or not, because then Kaiba wouldn't be fun to deal with, not that he was ever very fun to deal with.

"Who knows?" Yugi decided at last, figuring that he'd put it off for long enough. "I picked him up."

Well, technically speaking‒ "Picked him up, did you? Because he's got the sight like you?"

Well, there was that, and then there was‒ "I had other motives as well."

"Other motives?" Some of them purer than others.

With a sigh, Yugi prepared himself for the inevitable, snatching himself another cookie while he was at it. "You are aware of the movements of the Dark World, right?"

Pegasus' expression immediately sobered up and he gave his tea a troubled look. "Indeed."

He too had to have felt it then; the shifting currents. The spirit-sensitive children had probably only confirmed the man's suspicions; the balance of power was shifting. Initially, Yugi himself had only experienced it as an uneasy feeling. It had gradually built up though, slowly at first only to escalate later on.

One question remained though. "To what extent?"

"Next to nothing, I'm afraid." Pegasus offered up a dismissive wave. "I'm not like you, Yugi-boy."

Yugi folded his arms across his chest, leaning back to level the other with a meaningful look. "Yuki Judai."

Pegasus shrugged mildly. "The boy you agreed to sponsor after you ran into him outside the Academia Entrance Exams last year. Hayato-boy told me. But what does that‒?"

Yugi thought about it; how to explain the situation. "Simply put, he's an alien."

"Alien?" Pegasus blinked. "Foreigner?"

"Not from this world," Yugi clarified, tilting his head slightly. "I wasn't sure at first, so I asked Mahado and Mana to investigate."

Pegasus whistled. "So, how does that boy of yours relate to the movements of the Dark World?"

"Political refugee," Yugi deadpanned, because that was true enough. "Much potential. I merely offered him the means to realise it."

For once, Pegasus looked stunned. Then, rather expectedly, he became visibly intrigued. "So you sent him to Central Academy? Is that why Kaiba-boy is so upset with you?"

Yugi considered it; how to put it delicately. "The Society of Light. You know about them, right?"

Pegasus shrugged mildly. "More or less."

"And the Seven Stars Assassins?"

"More about those, less about the Society of Light."

Despite the fact that there were only spirits in their immediate vicinity, Yugi lowered his voice. "Our newest knight refused to cease his involvement with the Society of Light, so Kaiba decided to suspend him. Then _he_ got angry with me for giving away the discarded Deck."

Pegasus shot him another considering look. "Well, obviously he'd get mad, but that's not all there is, is it?"

Now, how to put it delicately or not so delicately‒ "Judai's joined the Seven Stars Assassins. As their new leader."

" _Hoh?"_

Putting it bluntly like that, it did sound kind of bad. Still, from what Yugi had heard, it honestly didn't seem like such a bad thing even though Kaiba had been at his throat since first learning of it. And then‒ "There's also the headmaster, Samejima, who keeps writing me, asking _me_ to ask Judai to stop skipping class."

Pegasus poured himself some more tea, adding sugar and stirring. "In other words, Kaiba-boy's got a truant cult leader with unknown powers at his school and you're the one who put him there?"

While that was _technically_ true, Yugi really couldn't say he regretted it, biting into yet another cookie while he was at it. "I don't see Kaiba's problem though. The Society of Light's disbanded and the Seven Stars are keeping quiet. From what I've heard, they seem to have developed a greater interest in fishing than in wreaking havoc at Kaiba's academy. I mean, can you imagine?"

"This Judai-boy must be quite a force to be reckoned with," Pegasus noted.

He most likely was, even if he had had help this time around. Still, Yugi wasn't here to discuss Judai, was he? "So, Johan's trials aren't going smoothly?" Yugi opted instead, directing attention back to why he'd been summoned there in the first place.

Surprisingly, Pegasus slid right into it. "Rainbow Dragon is high-level, so it demands a high-level trial. I've done what I can to support him, but no, it's not going smoothly."

Yugi took the opportunity to down what still remained of his tea. "So, you want me to talk to him? What should I say?"

The sage just shrugged mildly. "Whatever comes to mind. Yugi-boy, you're the king, remember? It's your job to be an inspiration to the rest of us."

Had not so much been at stake and had Yugi known beforehand just how much trouble the job was, then he would've let someone else have it.

"Well then‒" He got up. "Time to be an inspiration."

 **-.-.-.-**

After asking around a bit amongst the spirits, Yugi finally found the person he was looking for.

The boy lay flat on his back in the grass, shaded by the canopy of the dense forest. The boy's spirits obviously saw Yugi coming. A number of them even bowed their heads, but they did not alert the boy of Yugi's presence. "Johan Andersen, I presume?"

Johan lifted the wrist that had previously lain across his eyes shielding them from the light, and sat himself up with some effort, looking at Yugi somewhat blearily. "King Yugi?"

A moment of silence passed between them, just as an unusually strong breeze came rushing through the forest, rustling the leaves in the trees all around them and sending more than a few birds ‒ regular and spirit ones alike ‒ into flight.

 **-.-.-.-**

" _Milord."_

Black Magician Girl appeared before him where he stood out on the pier, overlooking the waves. "Mana, huh? How's the budget meeting?"

" _Lord Seto and Lord Jonouchi are arguing again. Mahado said they'll probably end up trading blows."_

"And the rest of them?"

" _Lord Mokuba, Lady Anzu_ _and Lady Mai are all rolling their eyes at it. Lord Honda is trying to encourage Lord Marufuji and Lord Phoenix to place their bets. The others are looking increasingly uncomfortable with the situation."_

"And the annoying nobles?"

" _They retreated after they'd caught sight of Lord Seto's facial expression. All of them."_

If so, then Yugi had a distinct feeling that he might feel tempted to do the same thing. "It's no use delaying the inevitable, I suppose."

Still, Yugi wasn't looking forward to it.

 **-.-.-.-**


	4. Interlude ‒ No Interference

_Timeline: post budget meeting._

 **-.-.-.-**

 **Interlude**

‒ **No Interference ‒**

 **-.-.-.-**

"Explain yourself, _Yugi_."

Yugi, sat at his desk catching up on paperwork, looked up at Kaiba and thought _déjà vu_. Still‒ "I'm afraid you'll have to be a bit more specific than that, Kaiba."

On cue, a report was slammed down onto the desk before him, certain paragraphs underlined. Yugi needed only glimpse it to realise what it was and just who was responsible for it. "Oh."

" _Oh_?" Kaiba repeated; going by the thunderous expression, this wasn't very good. "What's the meaning of this, _Yugi_?"

It meant that the Ghouls would have their funding indefinitely cut. Definitely. _Indefinitely_.

"You know, Kaiba," Yugi began, checking to what extent those little hellions had sold him out. "If you were that curious about my motives, then you could have just _asked_."

Indeed, he could have just asked instead of enlisting the Ghouls to investigate it for him.

Kaiba scoffed but didn't leave; Yugi considered the merits of leaving himself.

"Kaiba," he said at last, braiding his fingers, evenly returning the glare. "As much as I might've hurt your ego in the process, you're the one who complained about me not utilising my resources properly."

It really didn't change anything; Kaiba's ego was bruised and Yugi could understand that. After all, though Kaiba was once again the possessor of the Obelisk contract, learning that he had inadvertently played right into Yugi's hands in regaining it had naturally proven a bit difficult to swallow. Kaiba did after all despise being manipulated, and learning of what had gone on behind the scenes of the latest tournament had taken away quite a bit of the satisfaction he'd had from wiping the floor with the competition.

"Why wasn't _I_ informed?" he demanded to know, and Yugi supposed that was fair; fair but also fairly troublesome, because he would rather not‒ " _Yu‒_ "

A roar pierced the air, startling them both to some extent. Kaiba immediately broke off the glare, stalked up to the window and cursed. Mildly bemused yet at the same time quite relieved by the unexpected interruption, Yugi looked to the side at the spirit there; at the silent Mahado. "What is it?"

Mahado and Kaiba were both quick to respond.

"Cretins." _"Hooligans."_

" _Additional paperwork,"_ Mana piped up, appearing beside him.

Pinching the ridge of his nose, Yugi considered the merits of abdicating. Days like these, the demerits seemed fairly insignificant. "They're Duellists, so they fall under the immediate jurisdiction of the Duellist Court. You know the drill."

Kaiba snorted, shooting a disdainful look his direction before focusing once again on what was happening in direction of the city's outskirts. "This isn't over, _Yugi_ ," he commented, already halfway out the window.

Yugi made no move to stop him. Rather than stopping him, he averted his eyes, screwing them shut as another piercing roar resounded from right outside the window, accompanied by the flapping of huge wings.

It wasn't often that Kaiba went out to deal with things in person; ordering people around suited him. When Kaiba went out, it was usually a matter of national crisis. Well, it was basically that or him venting, heading out to make an example out of those causing chaos and destruction to court, or even worse, to Kaiba family property.

For all that it was the headquarters of the Duellist Court and thus the very heart of the Duellist Kingdom, fact still remained that at least half of the city belonged to the Kaiba family and to Kaiba himself, and that was a modest estimate. King or not, Yugi himself was a pauper in comparison, but so were most people in comparison to Kaiba. These days, only the Manjoume Group and the Garam Group even came close. Heck, Yugi had been raised by his mother and grandfather, a merchant turned Duellist, while Kaiba, adopted or not, had been raised in a noble household. Coming to think of it, maybe‒

" _Yugi!"_

Yugi looked up, finally taking note of the breathless Jonouchi in the doorway. "Jonouchi."

"Blue-Eyes. In the harbour district."

Shrugging, Yugi returned to his paperwork, because at least it wasn't Obelisk. "Kaiba-owned. Don't get involved. He'll sue you for property damage."

Kaiba most likely would, and realising that, Jonouchi heaved an exasperated sigh. Jonouchi did scratch his head though, looking at Yugi a bit uncertainly, as if unable to figure out just when and where his old friend had become so‒ "Seriously, Yugi? No interference?"

"None," Yugi affirmed, scribbling a side note. "Spread the word."

As Jonouchi dashed off again, Yugi tore off the piece of paper, summoning Kuriboh. He handed over the note, rummaging through his Deck briefly before finding what he was looking for; the Multiply Spell Card. Going by how it looked, he would have to remake it soon; this came as no surprise though, considering he'd had the card for more than ten years now. "Immediate delivery. All knights in Domino City. Barring Kaiba and Jonouchi."

Kuriboh crooned his affirmative, multiplying along with the note before dispersing.

Yugi meanwhile turned to his silent observers, raising an inquisitive eyebrow.

Mana smiled, dangling her legs from a nearby bookshelf.

Mahado very deliberately averted his eyes.

 **-.-.-.-**


	5. Visitation

_Timeline: Around chapter 2 and 3 of SSSK._

 **-.-.-.-**

 **Visitation**

 **-.-.-.-**

The Ghouls were a relatively rare sight over at the Duellist Court.

Ryou, Marik and Rishid were technically members, but so were a lot of people. As a matter of fact, only a portion of the Duellist Court was active in and around the capital. Some, like the Ghouls, had been assigned tasks that were best done well away from the eyes of the public. There were plenty of other reasons why they seldom turned up at court in person though. One such reason was purely related to logistics. It was simply quicker and easier to have reports delivered using spirit messengers than turning up in person; it was decidedly less strenuous too.

As such, Yugi was moderately surprised when he one morning found Marik Ishtar slouched upon the royal throne, eyeing him with boredom and mild disdain. "Marik," Yugi acknowledged, giving him a slight nod.

"It's about damn time," Marik drawled, lifting his chin. "You bastard, you cut our funding."

Over the years, Yugi's and Marik's working relationship had gone from hostile to friendly. Then it had gone from friendly to neutral, then from neutral to friendly and then back to hostile. Frankly, it largely depended on the situation at hand. These days, it was typically respectful and either friendly or neutral though, which meant that they had come a long way. Back when their working relationship had first started out, there had been multiple assassination attempts involved.

With a sigh, Yugi patiently made his approach. "Marik, if memory serves me right, then the funding you already have ought to last for at least three more years. Or have you busted the preapproved budget by buying yourself another throne again?"

Marik's eyebrow twitched slightly at that, but he made no attempt of removing himself, neither confirming nor denying the allegation. It was still early in the morning, meaning that there were only a few people milling about other than the guards on patrol. As such, Yugi hardly felt the need to tell Marik to move. Instead, Yugi himself crossed the room, heading in direction of the library.

Before long, there was an irritated huff as Marik got up to follow; Yugi struggled to keep his face straight, so not to alert anyone to his smugness.

"So, Marik," Yugi said at last, taking a seat at his usual desk. "What is this about?"

If this had really been about Yugi's last minute changes to the budget, then he would have awoken to a horde of zombies in his private chambers or something equally unpleasant. Ryou might act and look like an angel, yes, but over time, he had developed a somewhat twisted sense of humour that went rather well with his pre-existing aptitude for the occult. Besides, after being possessed, he had picked up more than a few neat tricks; if a need ever arose for picking locks or breaking into old tombs, Ryou was generally the person to send. Of course, Marik also had a whole lot of knowledge as far as tombs were concerned, but‒

"What are you planning?" Marik spat, arms folded across his chest as he spat out the accusation. "What were you thinking, letting go of Obelisk's contract like that?"

"You're asking me this now, several months after the fact?" Yugi returned evenly, because truth to be told, he had been quite ready for a confrontation shortly after the fact, not now.

Marik actually sneered; it had certainly been a while since Yugi had seen that kind of expression twisting the other's features. Within moments, Marik had crossed the distance and was now leaning over Yugi's desk, regarding him with those unusual violet eyes of his while blatantly disregarding the concept of personal space. "Possessing a contract with all three of the Phantom Gods is the definite proof of kingship. Kaiba already holds too much power. Giving Obelisk to him, what were you thinking? The Pharaoh would never have‒"

"He technically did though," Yugi argued in turn, cocking his head to the side. "Atem made his cousin, Priest Seto, his successor, and Kaiba is‒"

Besides, as far as the definite proof of kingship was concerned, that was a thing of the distant past; Priest Seto had been the last to truly possess it. Then, millennia after the fact, King Pegasus had opted to revive the thing, allowing a number of knights to duke it out instead of personally appointing his successor.

Marik scoffed openly; he and Kaiba had never really seen things eye to eye. To this day, the less they had to deal with each other directly, the more they got along. Of course, dealing with each other in business, they remained largely civil. Kaiba could tolerate and at times even appreciate the continued existence of the Ghouls, because they were useful and skilled at what they did. Marik meanwhile could appreciate the appreciation, because Kaiba appreciation generally involved smaller favours like additional pocket money as well as bigger favours, like turning a blind eye to some of the shadier business deals the Ghouls conducted. In hindsight, Yugi supposed he only had himself to blame for that; the Duellist Court only had so much money in the budget that could be filed away as religious expenses without people getting suspicious.

Back in the day, Marik had also wielded the Millennium Rod, an item once held by Priest Seto. Granted, Marik had attained the item under rather unorthodox and traumatic circumstances; Yugi only knew what Marik's sister Isis, the holder of the Millennium Necklace, had told him, and considering their nature, there was no need to delve any deeper.

By the time of their first encounter, Marik had already been utilising the Rod's powers, influencing and controlling people while holding a major grudge against the Nameless Pharaoh. The latter's soul happened to be possessing Yugi at the time which had made him a target of Marik's plots. Marik had gained Ra's summoning contract, marking him as one of King Pegasus' potential successors. He had also made a grab for Osiris' contract, only to lose it after carelessly challenging Yugi.

Kaiba meanwhile had come into possession of Obelisk after Isis had brought the contract to him as an incentive to act in accordance to her wishes; to reclaim Ra and Osiris from Marik. Instead, Yugi had ended up with all of them, to the bitterness of some and the relief of others.

"The matter of reincarnation aside," Marik scoffed. "I'm not taking back Ra. Without the Rod, he'd torch me."

"Really?" Yugi hummed. After all‒ "If memory serves me right, then Bakura was smitten even while wearing the Millennium Ring."

"That and this are different," Marik snorted, stepping back and averting his eyes. "Besides, that guy was‒"

That guy had been the Thief King Bakura, the spirit possessing the Millennium Ring and later on also Bakura Ryou. He and Marik had gotten along quite well back then, different goals aside.

"The Gods were angry," Marik finished, arms folded across his chest, nodding to himself. "It was the Wrath of Ra."

Yugi dipped his head once, acknowledging it as fact. At the same time though‒ "I kind of get it now though, afterwards. Knowing about Kul Elna, I mean."

Marik averted his eyes again and headed towards one of the windows. "We all know how I went off the deep end. I can hardly imagine how it must've felt, watching your entire village getting slaughtered like that."

"Spending thousands of years in the Millennium Ring while remembering everything hardly helped with the grudge," Yugi easily agreed. "Gods know Atem was vicious enough when he first emerged, and he didn't have his memories."

"Really?" Marik looked intrigued, so Yugi figured that he might as well humour him, because even these days Marik had a few unresolved issues with the acts he and his twisted alter ego had committed in the past.

"Domino was a much smaller town then," Yugi began, reminiscing. "Back when I had first solved the Millennium Puzzle, he used to possess me and head out at night to play Penalty Games with people who'd wronged me and my friends."

A mildly vicious smile spread across Marik's face. "Even Kaiba?"

Yugi nodded. "Especially Kaiba. But he really did try to kill us, so‒"

"Hoh?" Marik whistled, looking impressed. "Considering that, the Pharaoh was acting awfully high and mighty back when we first‒"

Yugi shrugged mildly at that. "I'm told it's something of a royal privilege to always have the higher moral ground."

Marik actually laughed at that. "Higher moral ground? Hah. Up on a pedestal perhaps, but hardly‒"

Yugi smiled, but offered up no further comment. Marik obviously took notice of that, going by the look sent his way. "You're not planning on abdicating, are you?"

Yugi smiled, his gaze flickering briefly to the silent observers. "What if I were?"

" _Don't_ ," Marik intoned, crossing the room again to plant his hands firmly onto the desk, leaning onto it slightly while staring at him with slightly narrowed eyes. "Imagine what'd happen; it wouldn't be pretty."

"Why would you care though?" Yugi countered, eyeing him curiously. "Ryou aside, I'm sure you of all people would find some entertainment in watching everything crumble to pieces. Your old self would have at any rate."

Marik snorted. "And your old self would have thrown a fit and gone off trying to save the world again. Honestly, I thought I'd seen your worst back during the whole Orichalcos crisis, but looking at you now, I guess I was wrong."

 _Déjà vu_ , Yugi privately thought. "I am getting that age though," he commented softly, nodding to the painting hanging on the opposite wall.

Marik turned, eyes quickly zeroing in on the portrait depicting‒ "I wouldn't recommend modelling yourself after the Sage. You're way more responsible than that."

"Am I really though?" Yugi hummed. "What if I decided to yield Ra to someone else though? You already said you won't take back Ra, which means I'm technically free to pass him onto someone else, right?"

A noticeable twitch followed, and violet eyes narrowed dangerously. "Blackmail, is it?" Marik said at last, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "And from you, of all people?"

Yugi smiled a bit sadly at that. "If you won't take Ra, then I'll find someone who will. That's all."

That having been said, Yugi did have a small number of potential candidates; people likely able to handle a contract with Ra. All in all, he would have preferred Marik though, because though there were other candidates, there were plenty of uncertainties.

"I won't take back Ra," Marik affirmed, eyeing him with obvious disapproval. "I lost my rights to Ra when I lost to you. Ante Rule or not, I lost to you and the pharaoh. In turn, the pharaoh lost to you, so‒" The look gradually softened. "I won't take back Ra; Ra belongs with the king."

"And you?"

Marik snorted. "I don't belong to anyone but myself. But if it's you, then I won't mind helping out, and Ryou‒ Well, Ryou and I both owe you."

The debt owed had already been repaid multiple times over in Yugi's private opinion. There were other debts though, incurred back and forth over the years; favours owed and repaid. They seldom kept complete track of them either, relying largely upon a reached consensus of which debt was the most recent.

"How is Ryou doing these days?" Yugi asked at last, because with the exception of the report Kaiba had apparently requested, it had been months since Yugi had last laid eyes upon a fresh report written in Ryou's neat hand. "It was his birthday just a couple of weeks ago, wasn't it?"

Marik snorted. "That guy's just fine. I got him a rare book, and after that, I didn't see him for days. When he got back, he had this look on his face; I almost thought it was the Thief King reborn or something."

Well, that did explain the reports about rumoured sightings of an undead horde close to the southern border. "And that other issue?"

"The Society of Light is bust, but you already know that," Marik said with a dismissive wave. "The Seven Stars are, as you also know, currently a nonissue. As for the Dark World on the other hand‒"

Marik ran a finger along his own throat in a cutthroat motion. "We've gone around dealing with scouts like you ordered us since last year. There are fewer now, but the ones that do make it over to this side are stronger than the ones we encountered last year."

Yugi dipped his head slightly, acknowledging it as fact. "Dimensional rifts."

Marik folded his arms across his chest, glancing back in direction of the doorway with narrowed eyes. "We still don't know if they're the ones adding to the instability or if they get through simply because there is something else that's causing it. Initially, we tried putting up barriers; we fixed a major rift about four months ago, but then some damned Knight or Knight Wannabe went and tore it all up again."

Sympathetic, Yugi nodded. "And the verdict?"

 **-.-.-.-**

"So, I heard you've been having some trouble."

Yugi didn't dignify that with a response, buried beneath paperwork as he was. "Rebecca."

She smiled.

The famous scholar Arthur Hopkins had been a good friend of Yugi's grandfather. Rebecca was his only grandchild, and quite eager to follow in his footsteps. After clearing up a few misunderstandings, she had also proven quite eager to join Yugi's clique and later on his court. Technically speaking, Rebecca was a qualified Dragon Knight; the Knight of the Sapphire and the Ruby Dragons. She was also formidable duellist and an even meaner scholar, and as of recent years leading the excavation of a massive site at the outskirts of the kingdom.

Yugi gave a somewhat dismissive wave; exhaustion no doubt showing in the movement. "I've had worse. I've _survived_ worse. We all have."

As was the case with most of Yugi's closer friends in the Duellist Court, there was really no need to elaborate further on the issue; some had directly shared his struggles and others were decidedly familiar with them in other ways. And then, of course, there was Kaiba, who had also lived through several such incidents albeit with a perspective that often differed greatly from those of the rest.

Years prior, following a major incident at a major historical site, Yugi had first pitched his idea to put aside more money for excavation and research of ancient ruins. The verdict of the council had been surprisingly unanimous, save for Rebecca's expected support. The rest, even Kaiba, had favoured Jonouchi's suggestion that maybe they should just destroy them with lots and lots of fire. Lots and lots of dragon fire to be specific.

Of course, Rebecca had torn Jonouchi a new one for that, arguing that if they burned all the records, then they would have no idea what to do once some ancient menace made its imminent return. Jonouchi had, if memory served Yugi right, once again suggested fire. Rebecca's response had been to sic Sapphire Dragon on him.

In any case, the dispute had ended with Rebecca personally taking charge of excavating the ruins, permitting entry to only a few. It was a sensible decision, because even so, they had had their fair share of people ‒ ordinary people and Duellists alike ‒ ending up in places where they definitely didn't belong.

One example of the latter was the guy they had found in the middle of stealing some priceless jewellery; trying to, at any rate. They had found him lying on the ground at the outskirts of the ruins, scratch marks on his face and a glowing jewel on the ground beside him.

This had been their first encounter with what was now the Gem Beasts. After that first encounter, the gem stones had just kept turning up one after the other, either unearthed through excavation or brought forth once they had put a notice out.

"These have been in my family for twenty generations," an old noble had sniffed, a frightened servant handing Yugi a decorative box containing three gems. "My late wife insisted we'd have them fitted into ornaments, but‒"

The box had, to their knowledge at the time, completed the set. These days though, they knew better.

"Rainbow Dragon, huh?" Rebecca sighed after a glance at the report lying at the very top of Yugi's pile. "Are you certain it was wise, sending that boy to the Central Academy of all places? Would it not have been better to keep him here at court with a mentor of sorts?"

On one hand, it would have been wise to do so. Still, fact remained that sheltering someone could only do so much. Back when the Great Sage was still king, the man had uttered something to the nature that raising good duellists was much like tending to flowers. If treated generously and tenderly, they grew up beautifully, but easily withered when faced with a harsher climate. If properly habituated though, then they would stand tall and bloom even in harsher conditions.

As king, Yugi had likened it more to the forging of blades. One issue was the material, the ore. Some possessed a lot of inherent talent; this was an inescapable fact. However, though the quality of the material definitely played its part, a blade still needed to be forged properly; it needed to be tempered. Otherwise, it would just crack and break in the face of battle. After all, even if the ore was of high quality, it not only _could_ but _would_ break under pressure if it was not properly forged. Granted, put under too much pressure, even tempered blades would break. Still‒

"He needs more experience," Yugi concluded, in part to Rebecca and in part to himself.

"Is that all?"

Well, to be completely honest‒

It would seem as though the recent movements of the Dark World had grated more on Yugi's nerves than he had initially anticipated, increasing his concern for his makeshift protégé. Winged Kuriboh was a loyal companion, but he was not enough, and despite the fact that the remnants of the Seven Stars seemed moderately decent and capable, one was a loyal cultist and the other possessed. In other words, Yugi wasn't positive that they could handle a hypothetical situation wherein the forces of the Dark World launched a direct strike on Academia.

As such, in meeting with Johan Andersen, Yugi had seen an opportunity and taken it. Granted, in a way, he did feel a bit guilty about putting such a potentially heavy burden upon the shoulders of someone so young, even though a Level 10 Summon surely demanded trials of equal proportions. Besides, if the situation on the island really did take a turn for the worst, then official members of the Duellist Court would no doubt be dispatched in spite of Kaiba's general policy of having problems resolved internally, without outside interference.

On one hand, Kaiba could be seen as placing a lot of faith in people such as Headmaster Samejima of the Central Academy. On the other hand, Kaiba could be seen as willing to leave educational matters in the hands of someone like Samejima ‒ by extension the board and the hired personnel ‒ simply because whether they excelled at their jobs or did not, it didn't matter so long as they fulfilled their intended purpose. As long as they, be it through their failings or through their excellence, managed to produce at least a handful of capable graduates and candidates for knighthood, Kaiba obviously saw no real reason to intervene.

To Kaiba, what happened to the students that didn't do well was a matter of lesser importance. To be of use, they had to possess summoning contracts with at least moderately high-level spirits as well as the wits to utilise them properly. If, in the end, they had only one and not the other or possibly neither, then they weren't worth much in Kaiba's opinion. Kaiba was after all not just an elitist; he was an elitist that hated incompetence.

"Really though," Yugi muttered mostly to himself after Rebecca had left, leaving him with his spiritual advisors. "I hope he doesn't break."

 **-.-.-.-**


End file.
